The invention relates to a support frame which is assembled according to the modular principle, with supporting, or column, elements and cross-beam elements.
For the rapid assembly and dismantling of column-type support frames, built from standard parts or standard-specification parts, it is known to use cross-beam elements which are connected to the supporting columns by means of screw members or clamping members, or by means of members which are capable of being hooked in, these cross-beam elements connecting, in each case, two adjacent columns one to the other. Furthermore, support fames of this type have become known, in which the cross-beam connection-points on the columns are designed in such a manner that, in the erected condition of the cross-beams, no parts are present which project beyond the column-profile and do not themselves serve a supporting or bracing function.
Cross-beam elements, designed as described above, for use in support frames assembled according to the modular principle, possess engagement means which are, for example, invisible in the erected condition, project outwards beyond the end of the cross-beam and bring about, by rotation or a wedging action, a secure connection between cross-beam and column. However, due to the fact that the engagement means project outwards beyond the end of the cross-beam, construction can advance only under "free" conditions, because cross-beams of this type cannot be installed between pre-existing, fixed columns.